Silage 2020

My 1st cut is safely in the clamp,contractor has a new 880 and a fresh 434 shovel plus a few new 14t trailers,everything went well apart from my older krone mower breaking down,looks like a bearing in the bed:curse: hitched up my trusty straight cut Kuhn to finish off.

Must of had fun because I didn’t take any pics,now thinking I should trade my wagon in against a new set of triples,making silage myself and milking near 300 cows isn’t going to happen with minimal staffing so looks like I’m better of paying the contractor.
 
Won't be doing anything for 3 weeks probably. When we closed up we were aiming for end of the first week in june. Now it will be middle at best. Can't really afford a small first cut.
I closed ours in Galway early. Had the slurry out the first week in March. Topped and rolled after that. Was aiming to be cutting this week or possibly even last week if things were normal. It has come on well this last 2 weeks but won't be anything like last year. Was aiming to take some meadow out for reseeding after first cut but looking unlikely now. I'll be spreading heavy for a second cut. Still half a tank of slurry to go out. It will all be useful. Different story in Leitrim. Meadows are pushing on well. Regrowth on pasture is phenomenal. Rotation on pasture almost double what they'd normally get. It's hard to have it every way I suppose.
 
My 1st cut is safely in the clamp,contractor has a new 880 and a fresh 434 shovel plus a few new 14t trailers,everything went well apart from my older krone mower breaking down,looks like a bearing in the bed:curse: hitched up my trusty straight cut Kuhn to finish off.

Must of had fun because I didn’t take any pics,now thinking I should trade my wagon in against a new set of triples,making silage myself and milking near 300 cows isn’t going to happen with minimal staffing so looks like I’m better of paying the contractor.

The way I look at it, the most important thing for us is to grow grass. I see our own slurry gear as a big help to that. We could have our own silage gear. But my old man likes cutting and wilting grass to his satisfaction. The contractor comes in here with rake and baler and can pop out 50 bales an hour at his ease. It would take a big investment to do that. There's lads around here with €30k balers that just make 150 bales a year for themselves. A good investment for us would be a good self loading bale trailer to make bales a one man job, but we will survive for a while yet with what we have.
 
speaking of long draws and idk why they accepted the job was a local contractor had a 3hr round trip from five mile bridge to coppeen. i dont see how that kind of job can pay unless they gonna charge well for it. that kind of trip can make some tyres bald in no time
 
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thought the 7720S would blow up the 900 but somehow it was able to withstand the 200 french ponies
 
Put 120 acres in the clamp for ourselves on May 19th, wouldn't be a great man to judge yield in pit silage and there was 30 acres of last years stuff in it already but I sold 20 acres of standing meadows to a dairy man locally which he baled the same week. He left it down to wilt for three days for some reason (think he was worried about Nitrogen in grass) and he ended up with a yield of 7.5 bales per acre. He was happy with enough with it though. Based on that, I would say my own pit silage was back about 20% yield wise on other years but I suppose to be fair it was cut 2 to 3 weeks earlier than last few years and closed the same date. I would say if I had left it until now it would have been there or thereabouts on other years after last week's rain. I have heard of some very light crops in certain areas but they would be in places where crops would always be light if that makes sense, i.e. not fond of spreading fertiliser.
 
speaking of long draws and idk why they accepted the job was a local contractor had a 3hr round trip from five mile bridge to coppeen. i dont see how that kind of job can pay unless they gonna charge well for it. that kind of trip can make some tyres bald in no time

Dunno, I see syl salley has silage for sale will cut it and draw to your yard , I think he will nearly go anywhere in the country
 
Dunno, I see syl salley has silage for sale will cut it and draw to your yard , I think he will nearly go anywhere in the country
Idk how many acres they had to cut but would feel sorry for the poor sods that had to do a 2nd trip
 
Was working around Ballineen Monday and seen an interesting collective of some Modern new Holland’s and even a F140 carting, not a clue who they are but nice to see older stuff still putting in a days work
 
Was working around Ballineen Monday and seen an interesting collective of some Modern new Holland’s and even a F140 carting, not a clue who they are but nice to see older stuff still putting in a days work
I think there’s a contractor in ballinacarrigh that runs some nice old fords and new Holland’s . Could be them ‍♂️
 
Like I said I’m not anyway local just working at Carbery the other day and seen them. TM of unknown vintage, then a newer one a T7? and the F140, that particularly caught my attention as I hadn’t seen one of them in years they were an animal of a tractor in they’re day. Lovely part of the country but damn there’s plenty of hills and banky land down that way to keep you on your toes :-)
 
Like I said I’m not anyway local just working at Carbery the other day and seen them. TM of unknown vintage, then a newer one a T7? and the F140, that particularly caught my attention as I hadn’t seen one of them in years they were an animal of a tractor in they’re day. Lovely part of the country but damn there’s plenty of hills and banky land down that way to keep you on your toes :-)
Patterson's would be the crowd I'd be thinking of.must ask my brother he is a fitter in carbery. You might have come across him
 
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